Dying engine smoking belt

Only had my GTV a couple of months, great fun until MOT time, with news of all 4 arms having bush wear i thought hey might as well powerflex, job done the handling feels great, same day the engne starts spluttering slightly, thnking it may be the MAF i disconnected and felt no change. Over the following week the problem got worse and has turned into what feels like a bad misfire and loss of power all through the range and eventually the engine light came on permanently, limped the car to work this morning and could smell something dodgy, i popped the hood to find smoke coming from the belt cover to the left of the engine.
Any ideas on what could be causing this, obviously i will be stripping the covers off and inspecting as soon as i can.

It smells expensive but my nose is not a trained mechanic!!!

Sounds like an idler/tensioner about to give up on life, or one of the belts is about to go. Maybe the balance belt has gone, and is rubbing on something.

Either way, don't start it until you've found out what it is. Getting the covers off is fairly easy.

Cheers,

Iain

It sounds to me as if the fixed cambelt tensioner has collapsed and seized. The back of the cambelt runs over it, so it usually gives the symptoms you describe. If the pulley collapses the valve timing will be out which will account for your loss of power.

I agree with Iain though, don't even start the engine until you have had it looked at. If the cambelt were to snap it will cost big ££££'s

You are looking at a cambelt change I am afraid, when was it last done? I would get the variator done as well whilst it is in bits.

This tensioner. Later versions of the tensioner were plastic.

Overtightening the cambelt can cause them to fail.

Cheers guys, had covers off and sure enough the outside of the timing belt is glossed as if it has been rubbing on a seized tensioner, will have to throw half my belongings on ebay and get it to my indy asap

Originally Posted by dazasquith

Cheers guys, had covers off and sure enough the outside of the timing belt is glossed as if it has been rubbing on a seized tensioner, will have to throw half my belongings on ebay and get it to my indy asap

It is also possible that the waterpump has seized, the car would have overheated if that was the case though. If you look at the picture the only things that the back of the belt runs over are the water pump (below inlet cam pulley) and that fixed plastic tensioner.

Get it towed to the garage BTW.

It should cost about £350 to get it sorted including a new variator.

£350's a keen price for the work, isn't it (I never asked around though)...parts for mine were about £275, but that did include all the idlers/tensioners and a water pump.

It's probably not practical given the distance, but I'd be happy to do the work if you need a cheap(er) fix.

Cheers,

Iain

Originally Posted by symonh2000

This tensioner. Later versions of the tensioner were plastic.

The two early versions were plastic, the latest version is metal.

The cambelt idler I got recently was plastic, the one I took off was metal...

The cambelt idler I got recently was plastic, the one I took off was metal...

The tensioners were plastic (old) and metal (new) though.

Originally Posted by David C

The two early versions were plastic, the latest version is metal.

The later Moving (toothed) tensioner is metal, but the fixed one is now plastic. At least it has been in the last 3 kits I have bought.

There was an article in Auto italia last month on the TS engine and it showed a picture of a plastic idler (fixed tensioner) that had collapsed.

My 145 QV had a metal fixed tensioner, they probably changed to plastic for cost reasons.

I'd concur with that, but for some reason my new idler was plastic and the old one was metal!

Originally Posted by iainfm

I'd concur with that, but for some reason my new idler was plastic and the old one was metal!

Thats correct, and the later plastic ones fail...

ok, I take it the metal idlers were on the Euro1 (metal topped) engine?

Quick update
called at Alfatec in huddersfield and danny thinks it may not be the tensioner, he reckons the misfire could be down to a spark plug or lead and the smoke could be from elsewhere.

They are gunna take a proper look at it tomorrow afternoon so will know more then, for now im just gunna carry on counting out these pennies i found in my daughters piggy bank

Originally Posted by David C

ok, I take it the metal idlers were on the Euro1 (metal topped) engine?

I think thats when they changed. It might also expalin why 156's seem to snap cambelts more often that 145's and 146's.

Originally Posted by symonh2000

I think thats when they changed. It might also expalin why 156's seem to snap cambelts more often that 145's and 146's.

I think it is more due to the numbers of 156 around compared to GTV/145/146 & 16v 155.

Even the newest Euro1 16v TS 145/146/GTV would have had the tensioners replaced in 2002 and would have been replaced at least once again since then.

When they had the job done in 2002 they would have been on the same parts as a 156.

Originally Posted by dazasquith

Quick update
called at Alfatec in huddersfield and danny thinks it may not be the tensioner, he reckons the misfire could be down to a spark plug or lead and the smoke could be from elsewhere.

They are gunna take a proper look at it tomorrow afternoon so will know more then, for now im just gunna carry on counting out these pennies i found in my daughters piggy bank

You've got a good set of lads there! Sorted my GTV out many times, and reasonably priced too. Let us know how you get on

Inclined to agree with you there andy76, turned out to be a spark plug that had completely disintegrated the central electrode causing the problem not a tensioner.

problem i have now is that under acceleration theres an awful lot of blue smoke from the exhaust even after an oil additive, i ask myself the question could oil contamination have caused the spark plug to die to which the answer i think is no as it wasn't burning oil prior to this and just over a week ago passed emmisions test at MOT no problem.

I'm guessing this means that the death of the spark plug has caused internal damage to one of the following:-
cylinder, piston, piston ring, valves or valve seals, either way i reckon my nose that detected it smelled expensive wasn't far wrong.

For now its drive like a 60yr blind man at sunday speeds until i can afford to have it looked into further. no fun at all

Nasty one... Maybe (just maybe) they used some oil down the bores to flush out the bits of spark plug and it's that which is burning off?

Sounds like it's damaged a ring though...and if so you'd better get it looked at as soon as you can or it might start damaging your bores. And that won't be a cheap fix...

The burning oil won't be doing your CAT much good either